Professional

Question
I want to be a professional Rugby Player, and willing to train 2-3 hours everyday; I'm 15 years old, and I need the perfect training schedule and dietitians and routine etc. Could you help me? I also need to know how to reach the top grade. I currently live on the Gold Coast, Australia. These are my details:

Age: 15 years, 8 months
Weight: 58Kg
Height: 176cm
Position: Outside Centre  

Answer
Lee,

I have had the honoring of playing a game with Colundra Lighthouse some years ago.  Had to watch out for the Kangaroos laying in the shade.

I am going to sound like your parents, but your focus should be on academics and attending university, even if you desire to become a professional rugby player.

The reasons for this are:

-rugby players, especially top flight rugby players must have analytical and judgment skills.  They generally learned these skills at university.  It is true in the US, and I suspect so in Australia, that many of your professional players did go to university and likely studied in some program requiring them to learn how to analyze conditions and then make judgments based on that analysis (many of the rugby players I know have degrees in engineering, law, or business administration).

-again using the US as the example, most players get noticed, and selected for regional and the national side based on their university level playing.

-rugby is brutal on the body and a professional rugby career can be cut short in no time.  It is better to have a profession to fall back on.

Assuming you continue to focus on Academics, the next best hint is to determine your level of play and find a time whose general caliber is higher.  I have found over the years that rugby players rarely play to their skill level (fitness and team skill level big reasons).  Better teams will expect more from you, and amazingly, you will try, and often succeed, to play at the level expected.  Once you find this team, find a rugby mentor.  This should be an experienced coach with an active interest in your success.  Sit down with him and plan a program of fitness and skill development.  Then follow though on the plan, and continue to study.

Good luck

Deane Shephard
Stuttgart RC